Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney will open the annual Ivies concert on Saturday, April 26, according to Kearney’s manager.
“The show is confirmed. Everything is done,” said Josh Terry, Kearney’s manager, in a phone interview with the Orient on Thursday.
According to Terry, Kearney will open at 3 p.m., followed by the duo Timeflies. Timeflies’ management team did not respond to requests for confirmation before press time.
In a statement to the Orient, Entertainment Board (E-Board) co-chair Matt Friedland ’15 wrote that the E-Board “has not finalized contracts with all of its Ivies artists and is therefore not in a position to confirm or deny any speculation, as it may complicate negotiations.”
Associate Director of Student Activities Nate Hintze—who works with the E-Board—also stated that the weekend’s acts were not finalized.
The Orient was contacted earlier this week by Kearney’s management team about scheduling an interview with the singer.
Terry said that the show had been “confirmed two weeks ago.” The Orient was unable to confirm by press time who from the College had signed the contract.
The show is scheduled to have a capacity of 3,500 people, according to Terry. He did not have any additional details to share.
When deciding which acts to bring to campus, the E-Board considers the results from campus surveys distributed each fall. Last year, Hoodie Allen and Guster performed on Saturday, with DJ 3LAU opening the weekend on Thursday night. The Orient was unable to determine if there will be a third act this year.
Mat Kearney is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tenn., who’s latest album, “Young Love,” was released in August 2011. His song “Nothing Left to Lose” peaked at No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Timeflies is a self-described “electro hip-pop dub something” duo, comprised of singer Cal Shapiro and producer Rob Resnick who graduated from Tufts in 2011 and are popular for their songs “I Choose U” and “All the Way.”
According to a March 2013 Orient article, the E-Board has worked with a talent budget of $65,000 for the last two years, though the artists’ contracts prevent disclosures of their booking fees. On Kearney’s online booking agency profile at Celebrity Talent International, his minimum price range is listed at $30,000 to $50,000.